I don't know what to make of this film- it is OK production-wise. It is way too talky definitely, but the acting is quite good by the some of the cast (although Phil Foster is just terrible) so when most of them talk its OK as such. The talk is well staged and competently written. Its almost as if the producers and director were thinking in terms of producing a stage play- not usually a good approach to an outer space movie.The artwork is above average and excellently done. Even the spacecraft are above average for the 1950's.The whole film is competent but they forgot one thing- THEY FORGOT TO INCLUDE ANY ENTERTAINMENT VALUE. The main reason for this is simply lack of action. Even the increase in activity at the end is not given much punch by the cast.Its good to see the young William Redfield and young Ross Martin. However they aren't given much to do. Would Ross Martin have been well used in "Wild Wild West" if just standing and talking? His acting would have been good but... unless you're doing Shakespeare an excessive amount of talk probably isn't satisfying enough to a movie audience.Someone should issue an edited version with Phil Foster cut out- and why not, he doesn't add anything anyway.

This is a very good looking science fiction film about an expedition to Mars.It has great cinema, with an attractive, although fake look, about it. The boredom of Reality is sacrificed for the spectacle of Fantasy, which makes this very easy viewing, particularly during the scene when they're watching dancing girls on a screen.The story is easy to follow, and the characters easy to like. Five men set off for Mars, along with a stowaway, which is probably the hardest part to accept, even for the juvenile viewer.The visuals are very easy to watch. They look like classic age India Ink comic book representations, but the characters are very good. One is a comic relief man, whose presence already makes this a very good film. The action and drama is well balanced, and there is never a lull. In this day of video, you'll likely keep rewinding to the dancing girls, who are more than scenic.It becomes a story of moderation and mediation. The final peril sees four men left, hoping to leave Mars. The two that have died at this point represent opposite extremes, the most honorable, and the least honorable, the most likable and the least likable, the best and the worst.Adventure films tend to either make survivors out of "extreme" personalities, or "moderate" ones. Here, as in most films, we see the trend towards the "moderate" character.This is probably Eric Fleming's "stick out" film, easily his best. Ross Martin (who most people still know as Artemis Gordon) does his best to steal the show, but all of the actors are exceptional at this. It is a delight to watch.

During the 1950s, Hollywood made a ton of films about voyages to the Moon or Mars. Most of these films look very quaint and old fashioned when seen today, but you must allow for the fact that they simply couldn't produce the grand special effects we take for granted in more modern films. Plus, while the way the trips occur seem pretty strange compared to the actual moon landings, you must also allow that back in the 1950s it was still all speculation--they simply didn't know better about many of the important aspects of such a journey.However, despite some very old fashioned ideas about such a voyage, CONQUEST OF SPACE is a very good film for its day. Much of this is because unlike most of the other films of the genre, this one does not use stock clips of old V-2 launches and features all original rocket and space shots. Sure, the models in this production are a bit on the cheesy side, but you can tell they at least tried to get it right. In particular, what I founds interesting is that they used a space shuttle-like craft to go to Mars--not a more traditional rocket.The film was also interesting because instead of the traditional bug-eyed monsters or malevolent external forces like some films employed, the big nemesis of this film is space fatigue and mental illness caused by this exhaustion. The only negative about this was later in the film when the general obviously was insane due to these effects and yet his best friend so doggedly refused to admit it--even when the guy did everything but put on a hat and declare that he was Napoleon!! The only other thing that bothered me about the film is that like some of these types of films, there was a crazy notion that the film needed a comic relief crew member (Siegel). While not an uncommon plot device, you'd sure think that the Earth with its billions of people would have someone better and smarter than him!! Overall, an excellent film for people like me who like this genre, though I can pretty safely assume that many people today would not be particularly interested in the film. It's a shame, as it's an interesting glimpse into the 1950s.

The film opens with a rotating space station that has two huge light-bulbs attached in its middle. Next to it is a spaceship that seems to carry four giant ping-pong balls.The B-movie retards refer to themselves as "soldiers". Funny how deluded I was in believing they sent mostly astronauts into space..."You are my son," says the chief to his son. Not only does this inform the viewer, but also his son; apparently the chief wasn't sure the kid knew. (These two boneheads have a totally formal rapport, even when talking in private.) We are introduced to the merry and incredibly moronic crew: a goofy Japanese, the "comic-relief" New Yorker with many unfunny one-liners (a virtually xeroxed character from the unfunny buffoon in "Destination Moon"), and their bulldog-like Irish moron sergeant (Shaugnessy) whose I.Q. is even lower than Sean Penn's.The crew's uniforms look like those of school janitors.An incredibly simplistic - not to mention stupid - letter is handed to the chief simply stating in two short sentences that the Moon mission is canceled and that the new destination is Mars. Just like that. So what is the guy in the suit&tie acting as? A postman? The suit&tie guy dresses like a NY mobster and strikes one of his many poses by leaning on several Mars pictures. His face has more paint-brush strokes than all the Van Gogh paintings combined. He looks more surreal than Michael Jackson sexually pleasing a chimp.Some truly encouraging words from the space captain for his crew: "Every volunteer for this mission is an idiot." One of my favourite lines.The Japanese is eager to prove to his captain that he is an "idiot": he decides to go. He then actually has to explain to his own captain why the mission is necessary! The explanation starts with a rather baffling cultural history of Japan in a nutshell... Hello!!...The chief thanks the volunteers for their courage and support, having branded them as idiots just minutes earlier. The two astronauts who didn't volunteer start literally jumping with joy that they avoided the mission! I guess these lazy, cowardly slobs would have preferred to have become unemployed couch potatoes.What is the point of the blue guys going to the cafeteria if they only get pills? "We're not on Earth, we're in space." Another immortal cinematic moment.The mad captain-turned-general has fallen in love with the Bible. He hates the mission and jabbers about God...Half-way towards Mars, the chief's son is suddenly and inexplicably happy that they're going, leaving Earth and his family behind - even though he bitched at the beginning about how he never sees either! A perfectly round, pizza-shaped asteroid heads toward the ship. Unfortunately, it misses.This movie's Mars - it's not red. I think even B-movie 50s writers should have done a minimum amount of "research".The chief is in a daze. At old age he discovers he doesn't want progress and exploration of space: he discovers he's chosen the wrong job and keeps quoting the Bible every 5 minutes to the increasingly annoyed crew.No matter what the chief does, there is no chance of the crew to mutiny against his. Shaughnessy even sides with him. The kind of loyal bulldog everyone would want to have."Look, it's red!" Another asinine highlight.At this point we have to wonder: what's the chief got against Mars being explored, and nothing against the Moon? Christmas on Mars. It's snowing. Are they or are they not going to build the first man-made snowman on Mars? The tension rises.